The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) is doubling down on support for the next generation of brokers with the launch of a new first-year development program.
The program — dubbed Practical Broker Foundations — is designed to help first-year brokers navigate the realities of building a career in mortgage and finance broking, from compliance and client acquisition to business development and long-term sustainability.
"Practical Broker Foundations is designed to work alongside and strengthen everything the MFAA already offers our members from a learning perspective in the MFAA Learning Hub," Anja Pannek, chief executive officer of the MFAA, told Australian Broker. "It also aims to blend the MFAA mentoring standards requirements and key learning focus areas for brokers. Where we have developed new content, it fills genuine gaps identified directly through member feedback. And it is designed to complement our mentoring standards and key learning focus areas, so that everything works together to give newer brokers the strongest possible start in the industry."
The series was developed in response to member feedback and what the industry body described as the "overwhelming" realities of starting off as a broker: juggling compliance, building up a client list and business development while also acquiring confidence, systems and structure that is needed to establish a sustainable business.
"We consistently heard newer brokers were looking for tailored support that reflects the realities of modern broking," said MFAA Executive, Member Experience & Partnerships Melanie Kafka. "This [series] is about more than just technical knowledge. It includes support around communication, business structure, client relationships, compliance and sustainability. Practical Broker Foundations brings those resources together in a way that supports brokers progressively through their first year.
"Strong broker businesses are built over time through consistent client outcomes, operational discipline, sound compliance practices and trusted relationships," Kafka added. "These resources are designed to help brokers build these foundations from day one."
The email series is available to all MFAA members as part of their membership through the MFAA Learning Hub in the member portal. All new broker members will also be automatically subscribed to the series during the first 12 months with the group.
The series includes member experiences, MFAA learning and development insights, feedback from state managers, mentors and other leadership across the industry, all designed to help first-year brokers get a headstart in the industry. In addition, the series offers video insights from experienced brokers, templates and checklists that can be used on the job, and wellbeing and business sustainability tools.
Seasoned MFAA members who contributed to the series include Gemma Piscioneri of G&T Finance; Kanwal Singh of White Horse Finance; Amir Beganovic of Talk Finance; Kate Sadler of The Broker Society; Matt Barnes of BE Financial Services; and Sarah Smelt of Finance Society.
• Finding and retaining clients
• Strengthening customer conversations
• Managing challenging client interactions
• Meeting compliance obligations
• Improving loan submission quality
• Building sustainable business practices
• Developing long term client relationships
• Navigating cyber security and artificial intelligence (AI) challenges and opportunities
The new broker support program comes as the industry continues to expand and evolve. Brokers in Australia 76.7% of all new residential home loans in the December 2025 quarter, according to the MFAA. Meanwhile, the growing adoption of artificial intelligence is reshaping how brokers operate. Although AI is helping streamline processes and reduce administrative workloads, freeing brokers to focus on client relationships, it is also creating new risks, including a rise in increasingly sophisticated fraud.
In fact, recent reports suggest mortgage fraud has become a multi-billion-dollar problem in Australia’s lending landscape. The fraud involves borrowers allegedly falsifying or altering income documents (increasingly with the help of AI) to secure loans they would not otherwise qualify for.
As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply embedded in broker workflows, Pannek said the MFAA is focused on helping brokers embrace new technology without compromising professional standards.
"We are very focused on helping brokers adopt emerging tools in a way that strengthens, rather than weakens, professional standards," she said. "AI has real potential to reduce administration, improve efficiency and help brokers access information more quickly. But it does not remove the broker’s responsibility to understand their client, verify information, apply judgement and meet their compliance obligations.
"Through our education, member resources and professional development, we are encouraging brokers to think carefully about how they use technology in their businesses," Pannek continued. "That includes data quality, privacy, record keeping, verification of information, disclosure, and ensuring that recommendations continue to be based on the client’s individual circumstances."
